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maggies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
cpilar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
jennikreads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
kcbatts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
claracavanaugh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit
Minor: Classism
white_lotus7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Eating disorder
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Luc and Oliver are fighting over what feels like everything they can, and they're trying to decide if they want to move in together (they really shouldn't, not until Oliver can learn to live with the fact that Luc is a total mess and Luc can learn to start picking up his laundry instead of leaving it on the floor like a toddler). They're having the sort of fights where, were you their friend, you'd tell them not to do any major relationship milestones together. No moving in together, not adopting a dog (or a kid), and certainly, no getting married. They're having the sort of fights where you can't help but wonder if the relationship is toxic. The sort of relationship where it's clear that they both want the other to change to be more like them.
Once the proposal happens (which was pretty darn funny, and very much in character), things, somehow, go downhill, and they fight over everything. There's a subplot about identity and who one is, mixed in with blow up arguments about.... balloon arches, napkin folding, and DJ vs live band/orchestra. While they seem more or less serious, they all represent something - Oliver's unwillingness to be out of control and his unwillingness to bend, and Luc's entire personality in a nutshell is represented by the rainbow balloon arch.
Some of the weddings in the book are wonderful, though I now dislike Tom more than I did in the previous book, we do get some closure with Miles, and Alex's wedding is very Alex. But Luc and Oliver's wedding.... Well, to be completely honest, it's a total let down. Not their reasoning, not their decision, but the fact that they dragged the arguments and the
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablana for the free eARC.
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- There's no reason for HUSBAND MATERIAL to exist, it's about 100 pages too long, and it's and absolute joy.
- I was so happy to sink back into this world: Alex misunderstanding jokes, Luc fumbling every important conversation, Bridget being a hopeless romantic.
- Plus, I didn't see the ending coming until we were upon it; I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks of it!
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cursing, Homophobia, Classism, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
romanceschmomance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To start with, let me just say that the narration was fantastic! Just like the first, this one was performed by Joe Jameson who is absolutely ideal for the characters of Oliver and Luc. Truly, I don't think anyone could portray them as well as Joe does. Not only that, but Joe performs the other characters magnificently - no matter their sexual identity. That's not something that every voice actor can do well, so, major props!
The way that the plot was set up for Husband Material was much more predictable than its predecessor, in my opinion. From the weddings at the beginning, to the lack of confidence on Luc's part, to the desire to conform to a social construct and get married. Unfortunately, for me, it lacked the emotional depth that I was hoping for. That's not to say that there was a lack of emotion in general, but when things got challenging and conflict began to arise, rather than it being handled in a mature way, all of the characters took an almost comically immature and selfish approach. This threw me off just a little bit.
There was a very, very heavy storyline in the middle of the book and while there were elements of it that were navigated really well, so much of it made me feel like it wasn't serious enough? Obviously, that's a very personal feeling and I'm quite sure that others would've handled similar situations with the same approach that Luc and Oliver (and the rest of the gang) did. But for me, it seemed like some of the depth was missing.
For the majority of Husband Material, I felt as though the primary focus was the "miscommunication trope." Now, this is quite possibly the most disliked trope across the board for bookworms. It's frustrating and the whole time, you're pulling your hair, wishing that the characters would just talk with each other, already! So, I wrestled with the story as a whole.
As with the first book, I loved the characters. I appreciate the growth that some of them went through, and there were many excellent discussions about sexuality that I really have no business touching on because it would not be OwnVoices. However, I appreciated the way that they were brought up because it provided more information to keep in my own back pocket. The CRAPP gang was especially hilarious with their ridiculous hijinks, and I absolutely loved learning more about Priya, Bridget, and the James Royce Royces. These characters were what kept me invested in the book more than anything else.
The ending is a HFN (happily-for-now). To some, that would be frustrating, but I found it to be more realistic. While the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed, I did like the very end much more than I expected to, considering my slightly frustrated feelings throughout the majority of the book.
This sequel isn't one that I would find myself reading again, but I did like finding out what was going on in the lives of the London Calling gang!
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Vomit